The conventional spinning reel comprises a reel body which is equipped with a mounting leg for the rod, a rotor that is rotatably supported on the reel body, and a spool which is disposed forward of the rotor, around whose outside surface a fishing line is wound. The rotor has a first rotor arm and a second rotor arm which are disposed facing each other on opposite sides of a rotating shaft. A bail is pivotally supported at the distal ends of the two arms via bail support members. The distal end of one of the bail support members is provided with a line roller. When the line is retrieved, the line is guided onto the outside surface of the spool by the bail and the line roller.
Some spinning reels of this kind are provided with a braking mechanism that brakes the rotation of the rotor when it reverses (when it rotates in the line release direction). The braking mechanism is normally operated using a pivoting brake lever provided on the mounting leg of the reel body. In this type of spinning reel, the brake lever is pivoted towards the rod using the hand which holds the rod, thereby braking the rotor when it reverses.
In the conventional spinning reel described above, casting and line retrieval are frequently performed while grasping the fishing rod in the vicinity of the mounting leg of the spinning reel. There is a risk of the fingers holding the rod coming into contact with the rotor arms, bail support members, line roller, the rotating rotor, or other components. Particularly in spinning reels with brake mechanisms that require frequent operation of the brake lever, the rotor can reverse during braking without the user operating the handle. This makes it more difficult for the user to keep aware of rotor rotation; when braking is relaxed the lever moves towards the rotor side, with the result that the fingers easily come into contact with the rotating rotor.
A need exists for a spinning reel wherein the fingers do not come into contact with the rotating rotor.